Political advisers in Beijing are urging a balanced approach to the regulation of artificial intelligence, emphasizing the need to foster innovation while addressing potential security concerns. The debate comes as China embraces the new Chinese chatbot, DeepSeek.
Ahead of the country’s annual parliamentary meetings, which commenced on Tuesday, members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) shared their perspectives on the emerging technology. Zhou Hongyi, a CPPCC member and the co-founder and chairman of internet security firm Qihoo 360, cautioned against overregulation.
“We should neither exaggerate nor ignore security issues related to AI,” Zhou told the state-owned China News Service on Sunday. He argued that the primary risk associated with AI is falling behind in its development. Zhou suggested that some leading US AI companies may exaggerate security concerns to maintain a monopoly by not open-sourcing their products, thereby hindering the progress of other countries.
Zhou further stated that China must “correctly understand” AI security risks, and that the greatest security threat is a lack of progress. He stressed that China must leverage the AI opportunity to increase productivity and ensure that everyone benefits from technological advancements.
